In The Wind
by gnomesbeatfaeries
Summary: A mysterious girl steels the last Dragon Egg. Who is she? More importantly, who is she working for? Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

Kara took a deep breath. It was now or never. She positioned her arms and feet, then began to climb the wall. After rising five hundred feet into the air, she came upon the only window. After pulling a dagger out of the hidden sheath located in the small of her back, she quickly undid the screws holding the window pane in place. Her senses were screaming at her 'whatch out for spells' but she knew that they were not a problem. Galbatorix assumed too much. She quickly climbed into the room and scampered down the wall. Moonlight flooded through the window, highlighting one stand and leaving the rest of the room in shadow. Kara's feet took her to the stand much more assuredly than she felt. The closer she got, the more she could see. Perched on the stand was a deep red velvet cushion, which supported an egg. She smiled. The egg was her favorite color: green. Stealing this egg would be a great win for the Varden, for this was no normal egg. It was the final unhatched Dragon Egg. Kara quickly grabbed the egg and made a quick dash to the window. She scampered up the wall and took the five hundred foot drop in stride, landing on her feet. Running across the courtyard took Kara to the secret exit that very few knew about. She tapped the correct stone and walked through the portal that emerged after the stones moved. Kara quickly walked to the nearest hitching post, where, sure enough, Grivdlyn was tied. Kara galloped off into the night, trying to ignore the pain that was growing in her palm.

* * *

"What do you mean, gone?" screamed the old man. Huddled in his chair, shrunken by age, and covered in dirt, Galbatorix did not look like the most feared man in Alagaesia. 

"It is simply not there. We checked, none of the spells are tripped. It seems as if you walked in there yourself and took it," explained his apprentice, Murtagh.

"It does, doesn't it. Well, this takes the rebellious teenager act to a whole new level. I want her found. Burn down the whole Black District if you have to, just FIND HER!"

"Yes, my master."

* * *

**A/N- who is this mysterious girl? Well, im still writing it so sit tight. All (well, not all) will be explained in the next chapter. R and R or die.**


	2. Chapter 2

-1Kara sighed, staring down at the egg. She could sell the it to the Varden, and live like a Queen for the rest of her days, not that she couldn't do that already (keep reading for info on this oddly placed reference/foreshadowing thing). Eventually, with the help of another rider, the Varden would beat Galbatorix's Empire. Freedom for all. What a destiny. Kara stared down at the egg. Before, when she had been carrying it, it had felt as strong, and heavy, as a rock. Now, sitting in the middle of the bed, it stared at her accusingly. _Selling_ it to the Varden would take many of their resources. Even with a rider to rally to, men cannot fight for free. Kara would be dooming them to death.

The dark green of the reminded Kara of her mother's eyes. She had died when Kara was a child, but the few memories that Kara had were all cheerful. They had lived on the edge of the Hadarac Desert with one of the local tribes. Kara had had many friends, and despite their nomadic lifestyle, she had always let herself feel at home there. Now, Kara never let down her guard. Banishing thoughts of the past, Kara let herself think of her dilemma: the future.

She had many choices, but Kara knew the green ball of life sitting in front of her would only let her do one thing: give the egg to the Varden so that they might free Alaglasia. Kara moved to pick up the egg. She would do it. Just as her hand hit the smooth surface, Kara gasped.

"IDIOT! The rag!" Kara cursed herself, and tried to drop the egg but it was too late. Her hand now had a crescent scar, and there were already cracks appearing on the egg. For the first time in her life, Kara fainted.

Kara woke up to a rough tongue slowly licking her chin. The first thing she saw upon awakening was a green head.

"Oh no, no, no," the Dragon nodded as if to say, "oh yes, yes, yes."

"I am NOT a rider, I am a spy. A spy! So go back into your egg and pick another rider," just then, Kara caught on to the absurdity of the situation. She was arguing with a Dragon. Loud, hysterical laughter floated out of her mouth. Luckily, the walls in THIS inn were soundproof.

Finally, Kara got her act together and made her way to the washroom. The Dragon followed her. The BOY Dragon followed her.

"No, stay HERE," said Kara. After much tussling, Kara finally got the door closed and prepared for bed. She was barely out of the room for a few moments when the Dragon started scratching on the door. Kara groaned. If this was what the rest of her life would be like, then she planned on an early suicide. Nonetheless, she exited the room.

"Aren't we supposed to communicate somehow?" Kara asked the Dragon. He just looked at her hopefully. "Are you slow?" asked Kara, not really expecting an answer. To her surprise, the Dragon shook his head distastefully.

"Ok, not slow…maybe mute?" At this the Dragon nodded enthusiastically, and Kara smiled. It WOULD be just her luck to end up with the only mute Dragon in the history of riders.

"I guess that means that picking your name might be a problem then," more nods, "So I'll do it for you." After long seconds of thinking, Kara picked out one of her favorite names.  
"FREDDY." The Dragon looked pleased, and Kara spent the night with Freddy curled up next to her in the bed.

A/N- this was added after chapter…uhhh…7 (I think) because of all the reviews that said 'what dragon?'. It's a little bit more comical than other spots, but I like it. REVIEW PLEASE!


	3. Chapter 3

-1Kara had been lightly sleeping when the first cries of 'fire' had permeated her dreams. At first, she thought it must be a hoax. To have a fire in the black quarter of the city would be suicide. Everything was built in wood and thatch, and a single fire could kill thousands of inhabitants. Needless to say, she got up in a hurry.

"Ress? Len?" she called out to the proprietors of the inn, her friends. No one responded, so she assumed they must have gotten out. Just then, the thatch that covered the roof caught on fire. Smoke immediately filled her tiny room. She could hear calls outside the wall, but before she could respond the supporting beam fell over her body.

"HELP!" Kara called, but no one answered. She thought fast. Either die here and have the egg be useless for everyone, or call out with her magic and give herself another chance to steal the egg. Sure, it would be harder, but she relished the challenge. With a few muttered words in the ancient language, Kara sent up a beacon that practically screamed 'I'm here' to any nearby magic users. Even the hedgwitches of the Quarter would be able to find her.

"Kara!" called a familiar voice.

"Murtagh," called Kara between coughs, "I'm here." Quickly a whole was made in the thatch. Kara frowned. How had he got up there? But her doubts were quickly erased by the sight of her childhood friend.

"Give me the egg!"

"The egg?" Kara had completely forgotten about the egg. It was currently residing in a special pocket of her pants, safe and sound.

"Save the egg!" The frown returned. Why was he so desperate? And how had he gotten to the roof, she was on the top floor of a three story building.

"Help me, Murtagh," said Kara, reaching with her hand. She was sure he was close enough to grasp it, but he seemed intent on getting the egg. Until he saw her hand.

"You touched it?" he said in wonder.

"HELP ME!" but he would not grab her hand, and Kara slowly slid away. Under the beam and into the heart of the fire.

Kara ran through the wreckage that had been the hall of one of her favorite inns. She needed a way out, and she needed it now. Oh well, she though. Drastic times called for drastic measures. Upon reaching the place the stairs once inhabited, Kara jumped through the gaping whole.

The common room was in ruins, but Kara knew where she was going. Pulling aside the smoking remains of a table, Kara felt along the floor until she found a hidden crack. Pulling up her trapdoor, Kara was suddenly glad she always made sure that her places had more than one exit.

Exiting the tunnel harder than expected. It came up in the middle of the stable, and Kara was sure some harebrained hostler had put dead weight on the trapdoor just for her benefit. Eventually, she scurried out of the tunnel and to Grivdlyn's stall. She quickly saddled her and led her out of the stable.

All the solders were currently concentrated on the burning inn, including one dragon, complete with armed rider. Kara snorted in disgust. She would never have believed that her childhood friend would turn traitor just for power. "Don't dwell on the past," she reprimanded herself, sharply. Now all she had to do was make it out of the city.

With daybreak came traffic, and Kara quickly hitched her horse on the back of a wagon and drew in with a family of refugees leaving the city. Once out of sight of the wall, she paid them their due and struck out due South. The Varden would want to hear of this news. She had also heard rumors that Nasuada had her own rider. If this were true, than she might be able to get him to help her with the baby dragon that was now peeping out of her pants.


	4. Chapter 4

-13.

Kara wandered, seemingly aimlessly, through the city. At least she hoped it seemed to be aimless to the five guards following her. She might be friends with Nasuada and the Varden, but that didn't mean she had to be nice to Orin's guards. She quickly slipped into an alley and climbed up the wall of one of the buildings with the aide of minuscule hand-holds. By the time the guards had found their way into the alley, Kara had climbed the wall. She gave herself a few minutes to laugh at their confusion, then she moved on. Nasuada would want her.

Kara walked straight into the hall.

"Wait, you can't go in there!" Kara looked at the guard who had spoken. She was used to guards knowing who she was, whether it was Galbatorix's daughter or killer spy for the Varden. Kara moved right into his face.

"Don't try to stop me." He looked a little startled at a girl staring him down. Kara took full advantage of it, kicking him in the balls and then rolling his doubled up form over her thigh.

"Any other takers?" All the other guards tried to rush her, and Kara quickly dispatched them. She stepped over their groaning bodies, knowing that there was no permanent damage. Nasuada would get mad if she killed her helpers.

"Kara?" called a voice.

"Who else?" said Kara, leaning into the doorway, "I have a surprise for you!"

"And?" said Nasuada. Kara simply showed Nasuada her hand. Her dragon, who they had decided to name Freddy peeped out from behind her back. Nasuada screeched.

4

Kara stared at Nasuada. She could not believe it. Nasuada, one of the few people she could claim as a friend, was sending her away. To the _elves_ of all people. Kara knew that Eragon had gone to them for training, but that was different. Eragon had needed training. Kara did not.

"Why?" she asked.

"You need to be trained," Nasuada responded.

"No I don't"

"Kara, don't be difficult," Nasuada sighed. It had been a long day.

"I'm not being difficult. Can't you just trust me; I DON'T need to be trained."

"So you can already do the magic required to be a rider."

"Yes," responded Kara softly, not at all as triumphantly as Nasuada expected.

"And I know you can hold your own in battle."

"Yes."

"The only question is if you learned both skills from the same person," whispered Nasuada, almost to herself. Kara still picked up on it. It made her flinch.

"Yes, I learned everything from my father. Even if I was not to be a rider, he still wanted his heir to be a fully trained and protected Witch. Just, don't make me go," Kara's tone scared Nasuada. There was not much in life that Kara was afraid of. Nasuada knew that whatever she was running from had to be bad. Horribly bad.

5.

Nasuada had dragged Kara to a PRIVATE session of the council. Kara had been surprised that they knew of the new rider, and even more surprised that they knew his identity. They had argued for hours over what little news Kara had brought, and were now arguing over her fate. As a spy she was invaluable, but as a rider even more so. Finally, Kara proposed her plan.

"What if I got into the city. I'll pretend to serve my _father, _but in reality I will persuade Murtagh to join us."

"What about the oath?" asked the other rider, Eragon. His elfin features disturbed Kara, she had always found elves just a little bit creepy, but she still answered the question.

"I am of his blood, he cannot bind me to himself with an oath."

"And what if he cannot be persuaded to join us?" Eragon did not have to say who the _he_ was. Murtagh was on everyone's minds at the present.

"I will be forced to eliminate him." Nods were given all around. The council approved of her plan; they would be able to hit to birds with one stone. Both her skills as a rider and a spy would be in demand during _this_ mission.


	5. Chapter 5

Although Kara hated leaving without telling anyone, she new that the best way to be covert was to remain anonymous. No one would know she was gone until breakfast, and that was several hours away. Freddy, now large enough to ride, was saddled up in the courtyard. She took one last look around the compound and climbed on.

Kara hadn't ridden much, but she was already addicted. She could see how men would give-up their whole lives for the feeling of being in the air, supported by nothing short of your own best friend. It was something she could never give up¼it was also cold. Kara had thought it would be could, but not this cold. She had brought a blanket, but it was no match for the strong air drafts that Freddy was riding. Eventually Kara drifted off into a fitful sleep.

_Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams_

Her first impression of the castle was that it was cold. Not only was the temperature barely above freezing, but the whole place gave the impression of being cold. She had spent the first twelve years of her life on the plains bordering the Hadarac desert. The buildings there were made of the brightly-colored adobe that was so different from the gray stone that composed the castle. The people, too, struck here as cold. Originally, everyone treated her as if she was made of glass. Servants would jump to do her every bidding, and she never left her room.

One day, when her current nursemaid had fallen asleep (of course nothing had slipped into her glass¼) Kara climbed out the window. She had kept the clothes she had worn upon entrance to the castle, and as soon as she was in a private place she changed. Her first order of business had been to sneak out of the palace.

Kara knew that the city that surrounded the castle was huge. All she had wanted to do was find some color. At first, it seemed that her quest was in vain. Everywhere she looked, every street that she walked down, was filled with bland people doing bland jobs while following the bland laws of the Empire. Everyone even wore gray clothes, and Kara was getting sick of it. She eventually found herself in a courtyard (which she would later know as the center of the black quarter). In the middle was a raised platform, and centered on it was a block. Something caught her eye, and she soon found herself standing atop the platform, looking down at the block. Something HAD caught her eye, but Kara was half ashamed to see it. Kara brushed her hand over the block, and finally felt her first glimpse of color in the city. Her hand became stained in a crimson liquid, and she immediately tried to wipe it off on her dress. She only succeeded in getting her dress dirty, and now her hand looked permanently stained.

"Surprisingly resilient, isn't it?" asked a voice. Kara jumped; she had been so engrossed in the liquid that she never noticed the man next to her. He was not especially tall or especially short. In fact, he was average in everything. His nondescript brown hair matched his brown eyes, and his gray clothes matched the gray clothes of everyone else.

"Yes, it is," said Kara, warily.

"No worries. Why don't you come with me, I can take you somewhere where you can get all cleaned up." Kara looked at the man warily. She had heard of men who would kidnap you and hold you for ransom, but this seemed very unlikely; he didn't even know who she was.

"Sure." The man led her through a maze of streets, until they reached huge building. It was over two stories tall, and spread over half the block.

"Where are we?" asked Kara.

"This is THE Inn, the den for thieves, spies, and all other never-do-wells."

"Then it sounds like the place for me!"

"And why would that be?" asked the man, who now seemed excited.

"I'm a never-do-well!" The man chuckled as he led her into the packed common room. He grabbed a drink of something that Kara had never seen before from the bar, and led her to an empty table. After helping her clean her clothes and hands, the man fed her. He had been very nice, and even asked if she would like to come again. Kara immediately answered yes.

_Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams¼Dreams_

Kara was jerked awake by Freddy. He had noticed she was sleeping, and did NOT want her to fall off. Kara laughed a bit, but soon settled into contemplation of her dream. It had all happened exactly like that. She had ended up sneaking out so often to go to The Inn that they had no choice but to train her as a spy.

Kara also remembered the first time she had met Murtagh. She had been coming back from The Inn that first time. Kara had been so helplessly lost that she had ended up on the other side of the castle. This was where the young warriors trained. And, despite the late hour, there were several in the practice courts. One had yelled something derogatory about her being a peasant (she was wearing peasant clothes¼) and Murtagh had stood up for her. They had become fast friends.


	6. Chapter 6

-1As Kara alighted from Freddy, she observed that the castle had not changed from the last time she was there. In fact, she had never changed her original observation of it being cold, hard, and GRAY. She was greeted by a servant, who led her to a suite of rooms that were much grander than her old ones. It seemed Galbatorix knew an oath would never stick to her, and was trying to catch her with money. The anteroom was filled with plush sofas dyed a remarkable maroon, and the gray walls were covered with what several tapestries. Kara almost felt like the thick carpet was massaging her feet, and she could see that it continued into her bedroom. This room had a bookshelf made of intricately carved mahogany, and a matching desk. The bed filled three quarters of the floor, and looked just perfect for a sleeping charm. She was rather scared of it. In fact, Kara knew that she would never actually BE in these rooms, her place was with Freddy.

Before she could sneak out, another servant came, this time with a bath. When she was bathed, clothed, and poked to everyone's satisfaction, Kara was introduced at court.

This was not her first time. She had come down that staircase so many times that Kara had memorized exactly where everyone would be sitting. Galbatorix would be smack dab in the middle, surrounded by all his loyal followers. To her left, and his right, would be the royal magicians, and on the other side would be the warriors. This was usually where Murtagh sat, but Kara made note that this time he was sitting at her father's right, directly across from the seat she would be sitting in. Kara gulped. It would be hard enough to convince Galbatorix that she really wanted to serve without deceiving the man she believed knew her better than anyone else did.

Kara could remember spending long hours training with Murtagh. He taught her most of big weapons skills. Sure, she had learned how to use a dagger and her fists at the inn, but Murtagh had taught her so much more. Kara sat down across from him.

"So, daughter, it is good to have you back," wheezed Galbatorix. Kara had barely a thought to spare to the disgusting creature that was her father. Instead, she had engaged herself into a staring match with Murtagh.

"It IS good to see you, Kara," said Murtagh, "it has been such a long time! And with a Dragon, too, who would have thought?" Galbatorix looked nervously between the two. He was in charge here, not them. But he felt utterly powerless in this conversation.

"I don't see why its such a surprise. I do have the genes," at this comment Murtagh's eyes narrowed, "and the training."

"I do remember you as a most capable student," said Murtagh. He had seemed stung by her earlier comment about his genotype, and was determined to win this fight. To anyone else it would have been a compliment, but Kara knew what he thought of 'students'. At one time, he had even said that the only way to learn something was on your own. Kara completely disagreed.

"Well, it seems some of us have gotten over our fear of instruction to _elevate our status_." Murtagh visibly flinched at that.

Just then, the person seated to Murtagh's right turned. It was now Kara's turn to flinch. Mary- Alizabeth (not a typo) was a close second to Kara's least favorite person. Kara always had to fight for her time with Murtagh; Mary-Alizabeth had seemed determined to be the daughter-in-law of a foresworn. Murtagh **had** seemed to be as disgusted with her attempts as Kara, but judging by the way he put his arm around her, his opinions had changed.

"Kara, how nice to see you," started Mary-Alizabeth, but was cut off by the arrival of the food. Kara missed the comings and goings of the servants, and barely ate anything all night; she was too busy trying not to keep eye contact with Murtagh.

Kara pleaded exhaustion from her journey, and with a good-night to her father that could almost be considered courteous, she left.

Unfortunately, someone decided to follow. As soon as they left the dining hall, he touched her arm. Kara flinched, and Murtagh said,

"I guess I deserved that." Kara just started walking away. "Kara wait!" she stopped again, this time with her back turned. "You shouldn't have found out like this! I-I-I just didn't know how to tell you."

"You've made it perfectly clear to me that I am only a way-ward student of yours. Why should I have not found out this way?" Kara said stiffly, and walked away.


End file.
